Hate heating your kitchen to make meals when it’s hot outside? Check out these great no oven dinner ideas perfect for summer!
There are affiliate links in this post – please read my full disclosure policy.
When we remodeled our kitchen, I decided to switch from an electric stove to a gas one and while I like it for the most part, I have to admit, that baby kicks off a lot of heat when I’m using the oven! So much in fact, that when we first moved in and didn’t have any heat in the kitchen yet, I would sometimes stand with my hands over the oven vent and warm them up!
You might remember that I’m a wimp when it comes to hot weather. So while that excess oven heat was fine and even kind of nice this winter, I haven’t exactly been thrilled at the thought of dealing with it this summer! So I’ve been trying to think of some great no oven dinner ideas to help me stay cool and yet still eat well!
And since I assume many of you don’t really enjoy the heat either, I thought I’d share some of the delicious recipes for no oven dinner ideas that I had with you all too!
The great thing is, many of these recipes are more economical as well since they use a skillet, stovetop burner, crockpot, Instant Pot (my new favorite way to cook!) or grill to prepare them. So not only will you be keeping the temperature down in your house as you make your summer meals, but you’ll also most likely use less energy to make those meals too. And of course, we all know that translates into more money in your wallet and less money paid to the power company! How’s that for an added benefit? 🙂
RELATED: Looking for a great place to get quality meat? Check out Savory Butcher! They are a growing company and aren’t available in all areas, but are slowing expanding their market. Savory Butcher regularly has boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.99/lb and ground beef for $2.99/lb. They also carry bacon, ham and chicken thighs.
45+ No Oven Dinner Ideas
CROCKPOT RECIPES
- Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas
- Crockpot Lasagna
- Crockpot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Angel Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker Buttery Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooked Meatloaf
- Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Roast
- Crockpot Tamale Pie
INSTANT POT RECIPES
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Red Beans & Rice
- Instant Pot Hamburger Stroganoff
- Ham, Egg and Cheese Casserole(can also do in crockpot!)
- Smothered Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy
STOVE TOP | SKILLET RECIPES
- Sausage & Creamed Potatoes
- Speedy Spanish Rice and Ground Beef Skillet
- Easy Ground Beef and Rice Skillet
- Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas
- Salsa Ranch Chicken Wraps
- Porcupines in a Skillet
- Creamy Tuscan Pasta Sauce
- White Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
GRILL RECIPES
- Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs with Simple Tzatziki Sauce
- Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
- Chicken Parmesan Burgers
- Grilled Pizza
- Lime Marinated Chicken Skewers
- Grilled Hawaiian Pork Chops
SALADS | SANDWICHES | WRAPS RECIPES
- Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps
- Classic Chicken Salad
- Chicken Pesto Caesar Salad
- Chicken Enchilada Pinwheels
- Copycat Applebees Oriental Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini
- 10 Minute BBQ Ham Sandwiches
- Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad
- Chickpea, Avocado & Feta Salad
- 5 Minute Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
DESSERT RECIPES
- Instant Pot Banana Bread
- No Bake Banana Split Dessert
- No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
- No Bake Strawberry Ice Box Cake
- Slow Cooker Berry Cobbler
- Gooey Slow Cooker Caramel Blondies
- Instant Pot Key Lime Pie
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY……
Sean says
May 14, 2017 at 3:29 PMI love the fact that these don’t “heat the kitchen”. My air conditioner already costs enough during the summer with the kids home all day!
Great meal ideas.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
May 14, 2017 at 10:46 PMI know, right? We always hate seeing how high our electric bill jumps in the summer!
Erica Vandegrift says
June 26, 2017 at 11:35 PMOne small appliance I recommend if you hate having to use the oven is a pizza maker. You can find them on Amazon, although I bought my first one at Walmart. It looks like a large waffle maker, but the inside is flat. They heat up very quickly but do not heat the house up. You can cook not only pizza on it, but basically anything that fits lol. I have made everything from chicken nuggets, french fries, frozen meatballs, and Texas toast to using just the bottom surface to fry eggs, cheeseburgers, and my husband has used it to make bacon. I don’t know how we survived without it! There are so many foods that taste so much better in the oven than they do from a microwave but using the oven not only heats up the house, but it takes a lot longer for the oven to heat up than for the pizza maker to heat. I highly recommend it!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
June 28, 2017 at 2:18 PMThanks for that tip, Erica! I never have heard of a pizza maker before and am intrigued. I love how you figured out unconventional ways to use it too. I’ll have to check it out!
Angela @ Setting My Intention says
June 27, 2017 at 8:03 PMI love these ideas. I’m definitely trying these this summer. I’m a wimp too when it comes to summer.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
June 28, 2017 at 2:15 PMThanks, Angela! And glad to know I’m at least in good company when it comes to wimping out in the summer heat. 🙂
Sakshi @ Delighted Baking says
April 2, 2018 at 3:38 PMAmazing!!!
I particularly love the dessert collection. I’ll surely try some of these recipes. Thanks for sharing these amazing recipes. 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom says
April 13, 2018 at 10:37 PMDesserts? Oh yes. My favorite too. 🙂